How Whole Foods Market Aligns Core Values with Social Media

Whole Foods Market is a natural and organic grocery retailer founded in 1980. Natanya Anderson, is the Director of Social Media and Community and the featured guest on this episode. Whole Foods’ focus on hyper-local social has yielded over 850 social media accounts across 400 retail locations in 12 regions across North America and the UK. Similar to the constantly evolving social media landscape, they are regularly updating their quality standards to stay current with new scientific findings about food and their source of origin.

In this podcast episode Natanya discusses the priority Whole Foods places on alignment of the company’s core values with quality standards in the way that they engage in social media. Whole Foods works hard to empower each store to represent itself uniquely in their local market through their own social media channels. Natanya’s insights will inspire any executive or individual in charge of a company’s social media to question how well they are portraying their values through their social media activities.

On This Episode You’ll Discover:

How the core values of Whole Foods Market align with all aspects of their business.

Their quality of standards differentiate Whole Foods Market from other grocers.

How Whole Foods Market’s quality standards are constantly evolving as new science on food emerges.

How Whole Foods Market sees themselves as a member of the local community and feels tied to them.

How stores in different areas are set up to match the community.

The recognition Whole Foods Market has received on their social strategy.

How Natanya’s team is responsible for social at the brand level, CRM and customer care.

How Whole Foods Market is Hyper-Local Social; many stores have their own social media accounts.

The Whole Foods Market organization is divided into 12 regions; each with their own marketing functions.

How training is provided on a regional level by Natanya’s team, and then dispersed to local stores.

How the Social Specialists and the store marketing managers work together.

How Natanya interacts with the local stores’ social media managers through enablement, not through governance.

The social media guidance Natanya provides to the local stores to be complementary to the brand.

How Whole Foods Market empowers local stores by providing information and inspiration.

The timeframe of when Natanya’s team gets assets out to the local marketers.

Why Natanya says it’s not realistic to be active in every social channel well.

How Whole Foods Market is piloting a program with Periscope.

How Whole Foods Market decided to only do a brand Pinterest account, but not local ones.

Why the content shared on the brand’s social accounts isn’t simply replicated on local accounts.

The different types of posts that are shared on the local pages.

The types of posts that the brand level account shares.

“As business grows and changes, social
has to continue to evaluate its role.”Tweet this

How their customers enjoy sharing while shopping.

Why Natanya says there is no better marketing for business than someone sharing with their friends and family.

Why Whole Foods Market has a very aggressive social listening program.

The opportunities a brand has available with the help of social listening.

Whole Foods Market’s use of tools and technology.

Why Natanya says a layered approach is the only way to create scale.

Why Whole Foods Market’s addition of paid media required local and brand to work closer together.

How Natanya’s one thing is related to the role of customer care in marketing.

Meaghan Alvarado

Meaghan Alvarado is one of Vengreso's social media and content writing masters. She is a valuable member of our social media client content writing team. She manages employee advocacy, and video marketing programs. Her more than ten years of experience in sales and digital marketing afford her the business acumen and insights to communicate our effectively with amazing results. In her spare time, you can find her practicing or teaching yoga, or watching Shark Tank alongside her husband and three dogs.